Kern River Trail

Kern River Trail is a 6.2 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Wofford Heights, California that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs and horses are also able to use this trail.

Foxtail hell. The things are growing all over the hills and you can't avoid them. They worked their way into our shoes, socks, pants, and even my three year old daughter's shirt at shoulder height. Some foxtail plants were 4 feet tall.

Having said that, the hike was beautiful and the trail was easy enough for beginners with slight ups and downs in elevation.

Parking: Drive to the Delonegha sign pull off the 178 and continue down under the bridge. Plenty of parking spaces available. Here there are bathrooms, nice places to picnic / go fishing and posted map of the local section of the river with warnings about the water rapids. Please be careful playing around the water as it is very strong and swift in this section.

We walked back up the turn off road up to the 178. Depending on which side of the freeway you end up in, you may have to cross the freeway or walk over the bridge to get to the trailhead.

There are two signs posted at the trailhead. To the left is Kern River Trail "most difficult" (heads toward Democrat trail) and to the right is Kern River Trail "more difficult" (heads toward Budget Gap trail). We did the trail toward the right.

Not a quarter mile into it we came upon cows blocking the trail. The females immediately moved out of the way, the males held their ground. It wasn't until we turned around and walked the way we came, that the males also walked away, and we were able to continue on the path.

Beautiful views and some wildflowers. Lots of exposed areas so bring sun protection and lots of water.

We took Kern River Trail 1.5 miles according to trail signs (1.8 miles according to my phone) until we came along an off-roading trail for vehicles and took that back to the 178. We walked (carefully) along the side of 178 until we got back to where we parked our car.

Beautiful, but won't be returning unless we find a way to protect ourselves from the foxtail assault.

Luz T.

This was a great out-and-back section of trail that follows the Kern River. During the winter, it was green and temperatures were mild. The trail is pretty exposed, so be sure to pack and dress accordingly during the hot summer. There isn't much access to the river from the trail, so bring the water that you need. This is a good one to bring your dog along with you!